


Goosebumps

by demoniccattus



Category: Uta no Prince-sama
Genre: ASMR, Fluff, M/M, Touching
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-06
Updated: 2019-05-06
Packaged: 2020-02-27 09:36:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,784
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18736417
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/demoniccattus/pseuds/demoniccattus
Summary: Ranmaru has a headache and Ai wants to experiment on him to see if ASMR really works, despite Ranmaru's embarrassment about being... touched.





	Goosebumps

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you guys enjoy my very first fic! I'm actually an artist but one day I got this idea and opened up google docs to write it because why not! It took a lot of editing but I'm pretty happy with how it turned out in the end ^_^ I LOVE RANAI AND FLUFF!!!

Ranmaru fumbled with his keys as he unlocked the front door to Quartet Night's shared apartment. God, what a day. He had overslept and missed his workout, done a photoshoot in the morning, then a duet rehearsal in the afternoon and a vocal lesson after that, and he barely had time to eat during his too-brief breaks. He had a pounding headache and wanted nothing more than to fall face-first onto his bed and pass out… but he would have to at least eat something before that.

 

The door opened to a quick entryway and an open floor plan living room, a single lamp shone dim light across the rug and the wall-length curtains drawn back to reveal the city skyline. Ranmaru trudged in, shedding his shoulder bag and jacket wherever they happened to land and collapsed on the couch, letting his head loll over the back. He let out a groan of agony.

 

“Rough day?”

 

Ranmaru's head snapped up at the familiar voice. He must've missed Ai sitting in the other armchair from his weariness, but there he was: aquamarine hair dark in the low light, holding a book open in his lap and looking at him with an emotionless expression.

 

“That's a nice way to describe it.” Ranmaru grumbled, wrinkling his nose and letting his head fall back again. “My head is _killing_ me.” He brought one hand up to his head to rub his temples.

 

“Mm.” Ai murmured in response.

 

Figuring the conversation had run its course, Ranmaru said nothing else and enjoyed the silence that took little away from the throbbing in his head, but still felt nice. Until his stomach rumbled. Groaning again he sat up and noticed with a slight start that Ai was still staring at him: he had that look in his eye like he was trying to figure something out, like he was taking a dive into one of the folders in his head or however it worked. Ranmaru actually understood very little about how his android friend acquired data. Did he have some kind of search engine in there? A wifi extension? He found himself staring back at Ai and that seemed to provoke him into speaking.

 

“I've done some research on headaches recently.” He said, somewhat cryptically.

 

Ranmaru broke the eye contact and headed towards the kitchen to get a banana. “Uh huh. Find anything?” He cracked open the peel.

 

“Of course there's medicine to take for subduing the symptoms of a headache, but I find the other methods much more interesting. You might have heard of the technique where one rubs the spot between your pointer finger and thumb, but that's shown mixed results...” Ranmaru leaned against the counter with his banana and let his eyes go out of focus as Ai droned on with his delicate voice. “...there appears to be another method with rising popularity over the internet. It involves Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response. There are several ways to trigger it, and though most consumers use it to fall asleep I was curious about how it would affect headaches…Ranmaru.”

 

At his name being said Ranmaru turned to attention, swallowing a bite of fruit. “What?”

 

The android's eyes narrowed for a moment at his inattention. “I understand that you’re exhausted right now so I'll repeat myself. What I was saying was that there’s this way to cure a headache,” Ai looked at Ranmaru with a dangerously curious look, “and I wanted to know if you could help me find out if it’s true.”

 

Ranmaru knew when the android looked like that he would stop at little to find his answer. He shifted his weight. “Uhh… what kind of test is it?”

 

In the past Ranmaru and the rest of Quartet Night had been guinea pigs to multiple experiments relating to something Ai had read about on the internet or in the library. Human nature and biology seemed to be some of his favorite subjects, and Ranmaru always had the feeling it had something to do with Ai trying to seem as human as possible despite his android nature--or maybe it was just a fascination. Although he wasn’t sure exactly what was going on in the younger man’s mind, he did trust that his intentions were… _mostly_ good.

 

“Well, like I said there are a couple different ways I can perform an experiment. With Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response everyone can react differently.” He shut his book with a soft thump. “Tell me Ranmaru, is there anything that gives you a tingly feeling?”

 

 _Autonomous Sensory…? What the hell is that?!_ Ranmaru tossed his banana peel in the trash and started to think (annoyedly) about something that made him “tingle.” He disliked spending time on fluffy feelings like that.

 

Just then, the AC unit turned on and the vent above dusted him with cold air. “I guess air? Or something softly touching my skin?” Ranmaru said, somewhat embarrassed at the words he spoke being a little too intimate for the situation. It’s just for some data, right?

 

Ai closed his eyes for a moment. “I see.” The bright aqua of his eyes was on Ranmaru once more. “Go sit on the couch.”

 

“How long is this gonna take?!”

 

Ai raised his eyebrows at the older man. “As long as it has to.”

 

Kind of afraid Ai in that moment, Ranmaru walked back to the couch and began to sit down--

 

“No, sit sideways on it. Cross-legged.”

 

Ai stood up from his chair as Ranmaru awkwardly obliged, getting his long legs in criss cross applesauce. Unsure of what to do next he looked up at Ai and saw him put his knee on the couch to do the same right behind him, so that Ai was facing Ranmaru’s back.

 

“Um, what are we doing?” His head was still pounding and it hurt worse to turn around so he faced forward again, and brought a hand to his shoulder to massage it.

 

“Massaging is one way that might get rid of a headache. But since I don’t have much knowledge in that area I’d like to try something else.” Ai’s voice came from behind him.

 

Ranmaru immediately stiffened at the idea that Ai was going to touch him. He suddenly felt vulnerable having his back towards the other man.

 

“Is it okay if I… touch you? I promise I’m only trying to alleviate your pain.” The commanding tone had left his voice and he sounded small. “I’m not going to press hard at all, just lightly in order to give you... tingles. I’m not sure if it will work, but I want to try.”

 

In all of his other experiments Ai had never wanted to touch Ranmaru. In fact, they barely touched in their day-to-day lives. Maybe after a concert they would slap each others’ backs and give high-fives but he couldn’t recall even one time they had hugged. Ranmaru thought that Ai just wasn’t that kind of person, like Reiji was. Ranmaru obliged to his request only so it would help with his head, but, okay, he was a little curious.

 

“...Okay.”

 

There were a couple moments of nothing before Ai decided to move. He lifted his hands and slowly placed them on Ranmaru’s shoulders, letting himself get used to the feeling before sliding them down to his shoulder blades. He felt Ranmaru’s back rise and fall with his breathing, and aligned his own breathing to the same rhythm. Softly his hands slid back up to his shoulders, and down the sides of his triceps, just ghosting his palms over them. Leaning over, he noticed something.

 

“You've gotten goosebumps.” Ai mused.

 

“...It feels nice is all.” Ranmaru returned quietly.

 

Ai’s hands travelled up again towards his shoulders and brushed over the cuff of his short-sleeve shirt. Stopping, Ai removed his hands.

 

“Take off your shirt.”

 

“What?!” Ranmaru whipped around and regretted it when his neck strained.

 

“It’s in the way.” Ai replied simply, somehow ignoring the implications of what he said.

 

Ranmaru felt heat rise in his cheeks at the thought of Ai scrutinizing his bare back. Sure, Ai had seen him shirtless at the beach or after a shower, but not like this! It's just them two, alone in their apartment since Camus and Reiji were on a trip, and Ranmaru shirtless--the lighting even seemed more romantic now. An image flitted through his mind of hooking up with the android and the resulting excitement confounded him. He had always thought Ai was pretty, but would he be willing to risk making things weird between them? And not to mention the band!? Waitwaitwait, what the hell was he thinking?! Nothing was going to happen, and his shirt is staying _on_.

 

Ranmaru was just readying his retort when he felt two hands on either side of his waist, tugging up the hem of his shirt.

 

“If you’re wearing a shirt you won’t properly get the response.”

 

“What the hell--” Ranmaru turned around with an incredulous look on his face, but Ai looked up at him with a stubborn brow and a pout. _A pout!_ Ranmaru swallowed his pride (and fear) and gave in. He prayed to whoever was listening that this did not lead to anything more, because he was way too exhausted. Why did Ai and his big blue eyes get him like this every time?

 

“FINE, I’ll do it myself though, okay?!”

 

Ai’s hands fell away and Ranmaru grabbed the back of his shirt to pull it off over his head, and his skin prickled as it was exposed to the cool air of the apartment.

 

“There you go. Now cure me already.” Ranmaru tried to cover his embarrassment with his normal curt attitude.

 

There was no response from the android behind him as they sat there in silence with just the sound of their breathing.

 

Ranmaru fidgeted uncomfortably. “Ai?”

 

“Your back is… nice.”

 

_Nice?! What the fuck does that mean, nice?!?_

 

He started as two cold hands pressed firmly on his back. Ai’s hands were always cold, probably something to do with his robotic heat regulator, or whatever made Ai have a body temperature that was almost normal. His fingers were always freezing though, at the fringe of his body heat. His hands travelled up again just like before, resting on his shoulders. It was different this time though; Ai’s thumbs brushed against the back of his neck, and towards his hairline. His hands were so cool it was melting the heat that radiated off of his shoulders and neck, both from his headache and his nervousness. It was such a little movement but it was somehow, so… calming.

 

Ai hummed thoughtfully as he raised his hands up on his fingernails and softly dragged them down the older man’s back. Ranmaru visibly shivered at the tingly feeling that travelled up his spine and then caught himself. He waited for Ai to remark, but he said nothing, and brought his fingernails back up in the same manner. Ranmaru’s eyes fluttered closed and for a moment he felt glad that Ai couldn’t see his face. Was it supposed to feel this pleasant?

 

Ai repeated the same motion, bringing his fingernails lightly up and down and across his back, falling into a sort of rhythm. Ranmaru could almost fall asleep like this, the light tickle on his back forcing his taut muscles to relax into the couch, and a cool calm collecting with the tingles at the back of his head. The rhythm changed as Ranmaru felt the cool hands on his back turn so that Ai’s thumbs were on either side of his spine, pressing softly as they pulled down, farther than he expected and into the dimples at the base of his hips. Ranmaru’s eyes opened again and once more he flushed from the android’s actions. It felt so good to be touched, and he wanted against his better instincts for Ai to please do that again.

 

The hands rubbed back up his spine, and slowly, slowly, his thumbs slid down and settled into his back dimples. Ranmaru sighed a breath of pleasure, his back arching the tiniest bit as a heat flared in his core. It was less of a sexual excitement and more like a strange warmth, he noted with relief.

 

“Does it feel good?”

 

 _Shit, he noticed._ Ranmaru didn’t dare turn around to look at Ai. His voice was completely unreadable but Ranmaru could _feel_ his goosebumps, so there’s no way Ai didn’t see.

 

Ai’s thumbs were still in the divots, his fingers resting on his hips and forming a ‘W’ shape with his thumbs. His hands were warming from the contact.

 

“Uhm,” Ranmaru began, voice coming out raspy, “yes.”

 

“And your headache?” Ai’s hands danced, brushing up Ranmaru’s back and fingers combing through his hair to rest his palms against the back of his head. Ai’s breath tickled the sensitive hairs on the nape of his neck and his breath hitched. Unnoticeably, he hoped. Although a part of him was wildy aware of their intimacy, the other part of him accepted it with open arms and welcomed the waves of sleep that were lapping at his consciousness.

 

Ranmaru had almost forgotten about his headache completely. “It's barely there.”

 

“Mm.” Ai hummed and absentmindedly started to scritch Ranmaru’s head.

 

Ranmaru's mouth fell open slightly as a chorus of tingles enraptured his scalp. _Holy shit._

 

“Where do you feel the tingles?”

 

Ranmaru vaguely recognized this question was for Ai, not for the experiment. At this point the hypothesis had been proven, and from here on he would just be indulging in Ai’s curiosities. He grimaced as he thought about what he would have to say next.

 

“Erm, I feel it through my scalp, down my spine, and through my arms and legs. Sometimes on my sides too. It kinda tickles, but not… in a laughing way. In a relaxing way…? This isn’t making any sense.” Ranmaru gave up, his eyelids drooping closed as the head massage continued.

 

“I think I understand…” Ai murmured with warm breath.

 

The younger man’s hands regretfully left and Ranmaru’s head fell back slightly, not realizing he was leaning into the touch that much. Suddenly he saw Ai’s arms wrap around his front and felt a weight on his back.

 

“What are you doing?” Ranmaru protested but not really meaning it because Ai felt like a warm blanket.

 

Ai’s eyelashes dusted his shoulder blades as he blinked. “I felt that… I wanted to give you a hug.” his voice coming out slowly. Was Ai tired too?

 

“You’ve never done that before.”

 

“I guess I didn’t want to until right now. You seemed warm… and I wanted to share that.” Ai hesitated. “With you.” He squeezed his arms a little tighter on Ranmaru’s abs.

 

Warmth swelled in Ranmaru’s chest from the unexpected sweetness of his friend’s words. Ranmaru knew this was new territory for the android as well, and smiled softly at the fact that he felt comfortable enough with the older idol to be able to initiate a hug he wanted for himself. Hesitantly he placed his arms on top of Ai’s to embrace the hug. He felt Ai’s eyelashes fall closed as his head rested on his back. His hair tickled him a little and Ranmaru sighed.

 

“I could fall asleep just like this.” Ranmaru’s deep voice came, barely above a whisper.

 

Ai’s grip loosened as he shifted behind him, un-crossing his legs and carefully putting them around Ranmaru. Scooting closer, he paused for a moment. “Can I?” he asked, soft as silk.

 

_Am I really going to let this escalate to cuddling?_

 

_… yes._

 

He nodded his head and Ai locked his legs around Ranmaru in a koala fashion. Ranmaru leaned them both towards the cushy back of the couch, so he could rest his head. As he drifted off to sleep he pondered if this was Ai’s plot all along. No, he couldn’t-- and wouldn't-- plan something like this. Ai was normally predictable but an experiment leading to this, he was sure that not even Ai himself had expected. Maybe that’s what he liked so much about the mysterious android. He was a collection of wires and circuits looking for a way to assimilate himself into a strange world that he’d been foreign to since he was created. He tried to live in a way that he thought to be the most efficient by shoving everything aside he deemed unimportant-- relationships, emotions, contact-- Ranmaru had seen him shun each of these.

 

However, slowly but surely, Ai was coming to terms with letting himself be vulnerable to those he cared about. And as they slept peacefully together, Ai felt the tiniest bit more human.

 

**Author's Note:**

> can you tell I'm an Ai stan... lol  
> Thank youuuu for reading! <3


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